WATERLINE ON-LOT CONSTRUCTION
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. You do not need to be home for the first phase of the on-lot work which will involve the installation of the meter and piping as described above.
2. We do ask that you be home for the second phase of the work, which will involve in-home plumbing.
3. You will not need to be home for the third phase, well abandonment.

You will be notified by the contractor when each phase of the on-lot work will be conducted.

Maryland statute requires that when a public water system becomes available, all adjacent homes must connect and abandon their wells. In this case, all residences located in the Pearce Creek Service Area were identified in the Cecil County Master Sewer and Water Plan Amendment as being required to connect to the Town of Cecilton’s public water system due to the previous migration of degraded groundwater and subsequent adverse impacts of some residential wells adjacent to the Pearce Creek Dredged Material Containment Facility (DMCF). If a Pearce Creek Service Area resident does not connect to the system, the Cecil County Health Department will not issue future building permits for modifications to existing homes without assurance of a residence’s connection to a safe and adequate water supply.

The Maryland Department of Transportation Port Administration (MPA) is funding the residential connections as well as any capping/sealing/abandonment of existing wells for property owners in the Pearce Creek Service Area. The MPA funding commitment will conclude one year after the water system is put into service. At this time, the one-year funding window is expected to close on June 30, 2018. After June 30, 2018 residents will be required to pay for their own connection, with an approximate total cost of $10,000 per residential connection and well abandonment.

Residents will be billed quarterly by the Town of Cecilton upon installation. Residents of the Pearce Creek Service Area will be charged the same rates as the residents of the Town of Cecilton. The Town's rate structure includes both a base rate and usage rate.

Water Bill: The Town’s quarterly water rate is as follows:

• $68.91 for the first 5,000 gallons
• $9.17 per 1,000 gallons thereafter

For those residents who may winterize their home and not use any water in a particular quarter, they would still be responsible for payment of the base rate of $68.91

It is current Town policy to increase rates 2% every year.

Fire Hydrant Recoupment Fee: All residents and lot owners in the Sunset Pointe, Bay View Estates and West View Shores communities received an initial bill for the fire hydrant recoupment fee in early January 2018. The fire hydrant recoupment fee will be charged on a quarterly basis for a 5-year period (through 2023). Residents can pay their total hydrant fee in full at any time. The fire hydrant recoupment fees are as follows:

• Sunset Pointe: $50.63/lot
• Bay View Estates: $21.98/lot
• West View Shores: $16.15/lot

(Note: All undeveloped lots will be responsible for paying the hydrant fee as well. If you have an undeveloped lot that has been deemed unbuildable by the Cecil County Health Department due to failed percolation testing, please provide this documentation to the Town and the unbuildable lot(s) will not be subject to the hydrant fee).

Residents will not be responsible for the water used by the fire department. For more information regarding this fee, please contact Chris Rogers from AECOM at (302)-781- 5945 or christopher.rogers@aecom.com

There will be no effect of the chlorine from the water on the septic systems. The chlorine residual will be about 0.2 parts per million and has shown no adverse impacts to other in-town homes that have septic systems and utilize Town water.

Homeowners are responsible for their own septic system maintenance and repair. Many factors impact septic systems which could cause failure or require an increase in how often the system is pumped. High volumes of water, as well as a variety of solids and/or household cleaning products can be detrimental to a septic system¹. The amount and type of chlorine present in public drinking water systems will not disrupt or kill the beneficial bacterial in the septic tank¹. Likewise, at homes in which the water supply is not potable due to bacterial contamination, a chlorinator can be installed to serve as a temporary solution; systems with properly operated chlorinators will not harm the septic system².

¹ Huber, J. (2016). Caring for your septic system. Retrieved from https://www.houselogic.com/organize-maintain/home- maintenance-tips/caring- for-your-septic-system/

² InspectApedia. (2015). Chlorine in drinking water: Effects of water chlorinators on septic systems. Retrieved from http://inspectapedia.com/septic/Chlorine_Impact_on_Septic.php

Pearce Creek Outreach Website - Water System Information Page